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Denmark Vesey Plans a Revolt
The Confession of Bacchus Hammet
Bacchus stated that Perault,
(Stroekers man) on or about the 2nd May, whilst
hauling cotton to the wharf, persuaded him to go to a Society;
that he enquired of Perault what society it was, and was told
never to mind but pressed earnestly to go.
That Perault would call for him that night, which he did.
That they went together to Denmark Vesey’s house near
Bennets Mills, that they were recd by Denmark when they went
into his yard at his house door, and the gate locked upon
them.
That Denmark after
ascertaining it was Perault & another man (as Perault said
to D) he went with them into the house. In a large room I seen ten or a dozen men, a table in the
midst of the room and a large Book open on it, probably the
Bible, Denmark asked me who I belonged to and my name, Perault
immediately answered “Bacchus belonging to Mr. Hammet,”
Denmark asked me which Hammet, I said Mr. Benjamin Hammet, the
gentleman who put old Lorenzo Dow in jail; and is an officer in
Capt. Martindale’s company.
Perault and Denmark
then took me in a side room; and Perault says to me, “Bacchus
I have some particular thing to say to you; I asked what it was
he said “that they were going to have war and fight the white
people” and that I must join them.
I said “Perault I am sorry you brought me into this
business and you better let it alone,” and I considered some
time; at last Perault says “Bacchus you need not fret, you
may as well join us.”
Denmark then said “any
person who don’t join us must be treated as an enemy and put
to death”; and I said if that is the case, well I will
join you. We
all three then went into the large room, and there I seen Rolla
Bennet, Monday Gell, Charles Drayton & Smart Anderson and
another who I believe is Denmark Veseys son.
They had the large
Book open and something like in it, which believe come from
some free Country off, may be St. Domingo: and Denmarks son
says to Monday, shewing him something in the letter, “look
here Monday see how they are making fun of we,” meaning the
people off in the free country.
Then Denmark said,
“Friends we have a friend who is to go into the Country to
raise the country negroes to come down, all who can must
put in money to raise a sum to pay his master wages while he
is gone.” That
they all put in, and I and Perault put in seven pence.
Denmark then said
they must all swear, that they all held up their right hand
and swore, and said after Denmark: “We will not tell
we will not tell on any body, We will not tell if taken
by the whites, nor will we tell if we are to be put to death.” that under the sanctity of this Oath he never told his
master. This was
the first meeting—Denmark told me and the rest that night the
next week, we were to meet again at his House, I believe it was
Thursday: at the next meeting, I was asked by Denmark if I
could get any arms, I told him may be an old sword;
and he said no matter any arms I can get to bring them to him.
Perault told me to
try and get arms and powder.
I said my master has pistols, but I am afraid to take
them, and Perault said never mind We will satisfy your
master on that subject. That I did at the middle of the day steal out of the Back
store of my master when the clerks were busy and the store open
one Keg of powder and old horsemans sword.—that when busy
in the house, I did steal my masters pistol out of the closet
of the rooms.
That (Ned Bennet)
one of the Bennetts men came and waited in the street that night
until I came to assist me in carrying the powder to Denmark’s.
we carried it in a bag and I gave the sword and pistol
& powder to him. He
afterwards told me he gave the sword to Perault, and Perault
gave in to Caesar Smith. The
powder was carried to Monday Gell house by Perault, where Gullah
Jack came and got it.
Denmark told me,
that on Sunday 16th, June we must not go home, that
every one must stay out, and go up the road to a farm on meeting
street road, as soon as we hear the noise, and there meet the
country negroes under him, and another.
that I must not join the people where my master lived
but join another Gang, and he would send a Gang to take my
Master, and to take Capt. Martindale5—every one
who could was to come out.
That morning I went
to Monday Gells (the 9th June) and there I met
Charles Drayton who was going with Monday to the farm; but
Monday seeing me said “Charles here is a friend he will go
with you. I have a
hog to kill, and can’t go.
he will go.” I went up to a farm on Meeting Street road with a House
having a balcony at the top is on it—Here Charles Drayton
called for the old Daddy and some two Women came to the gate and
went back and called him. He
came and Charles, and myself, went into the stable with him, and
Charles told him, that he must be in readiness as the Country
Negroes would be down next Sunday, and he must receive them.
We then came
away—On the next Sunday the 16th June, Gullah Jack
came to Monday Gell, where I was and Charles Drayton, and said
you can’t go up to the farm, I have been up the road and just
come down, and the negroes can’t go up as the Patrol
is out quite strong—That I was to help to get the arms
of the Neck Company—That Monday Gell told me when the
Negroes was taken up (for holding meeting in Anson Street) in
1820, that the African Church was the people, and that they
met for this very purpose but that business put them back, and
now they had began again to try it—After Denmark was
taken, Perault came and told me, and said Denmark said nobody
must tell any thing—That Perault said never mind keep yourself
in readiness, and when you hear the noise in the street you must
come out and help us to get the Arms of the Neck Company
(6th July) that Gullah Jack was to head this party
and then to fight the white people with them.
The General plan was
to fight the white people and them that were not killed to be
driven out of the City—(That when in prison Perault told me
not to tell as I was put in the same room with him—He told
me when I asked where the powder was that it was buried by
Gullah Jack.) That
Perault told me, “we have a Blacksmith who is making
Baynets or something to stick with, we have already 2 or 300
Baynets and 3 or 400 (hundred) men—Monday said “We are 2000
(thousand) strong.”
When I asked Denmark
about how they would be able to do this thing without arms—he
said, every one must look out for the different stores that had
arms such as guns &c, and take notice to them.—He told me
also that all the Ministers were to killed except a few who were
to be saved and showed the different passages in the Bible from
which Denmark preached (& the rest) and they were to be
asked Why they did not preach up this thing (meaning the
passages9 on liberty &c) to them before and that
they were to be made to tell—
Notwithstanding
the evidence of guilt against this fellow & from his own
confession, yet he went to the Gallows, laughing and bidding
his acquaintances in the streets “good bye.”
On being hung, owing to some mismanagement in the fall of
the trap, he was not thrown off, but as the board canted he
slipped: yet he was so hardened, that he threw himself
forward, and as he swung back he lifted his feet, so that his
knees might not touch the Board!—In prison he was
considered very hardened. He told a clergyman the evening before his execution, that
“He never had any goodness in him, and that Hell was
his portion.” He
was well-used, and had many privileges allowed him—So Hardened
was he in fact, that he was seen to laugh a moment or two before
the cap was drawn over his eyes.
The following
is furnished by a friend of the owner who obtained it from the
Revd Mr. Backman.
That
Revd Gentleman was in the habit of visiting the prisoners; on a
visit, of this kind he happened to step into the room where
Bacchus was and found him very dejected, apparently in a deep
study. He enquired
how it was with him, meaning his future state & hopes,
Bacchus replied “bad enough,” and said “he would go to
Hell”; indeed that is bad enough said the clergyman; Bacchus
replied “he was thinking if he ever did a good action,”
and found he never had. He told the clergyman, “that he was the Devil amongst
the women,” that he believed he would go to Hell, “that
his master thought he was a good servant and he had been a very
bad boy.”
He
also stated how he was carried to Veseys by Perault, How Vesey
sat him along side of him, and when he found he—[torn] to join
him He asked him seven queries such as—“Did His master
use him Well—Yes he believed so, Did He eat the same
as His master, Yes sometimes not always as well as his master—Did
his master not sleep on a soft bed, Yes.
Did he Bacchus sleep on a soft a Bed as his master—No—Who
made his master—God—Who made you—God—And
then ar’nt you as good as your master if God made him &
you, ar’nt you as free, Yes, Then why don’t you join
and fight your master. Does
your master use you well, Yes I believe so, Does he whip
you when you do wrong, Yes sometimes, Then why don’t you as
you are as free as your master, turn about and fight for
yourself.
Upon
this delusive reasoning he joined, and then stated how his name
was put down and the mode of swearing &c &c &c
already described. After
joining (with such delusions) he said would have went as far as
any of them in the Business. . . .
Source: Robert S. Starobin, editor. Denmark
Vesey: The Slave Conspiracy of 1822. Englwood Cliffs, N.J.:
Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1970 |
